


The Death of Hunger

by classic_cut_kyber



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: Knights of the Old Republic (Video Games), star wars knights
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2020-07-09 19:29:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19893121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/classic_cut_kyber/pseuds/classic_cut_kyber
Summary: After abandoning her master, Darth Nihilus, the Lord of Hunger, Shadowhand Visas Marr finds herself aboard his ship once again, with Meetra Surik and Mandalore the Preserver on her heels. This time, she does not come bearing information or a Force sensitive being for him to consume. This time she is there for one simple reason: to kill him.





	1. Ravage

Disclaimer: These stories contain retellings of events from Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic video game series. Spoilers ahead.

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A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...

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Though she had been off this ship for only a short while, Visas Marr had forgotten the corpse-like stillness that filled the interior spaces of the Ravager. This was the cruiser of her master, the Sith Lord Darth Nihilus. Even the air was stale and lifeless. It hung heavily, like an invisible fog. Being here, on this ship, sent strange feelings into her heart, ones she couldn't decipher. It was a mix of fear, comfort, nostalgia, and discontent. She had expected to feel terror. Pure, undiluted terror. Instead, she had this weird, indescribable knot in her chest. Maybe it was the presence of her companions that kept her calm. The spark of the ever unpredictable Jedi Exile Meetra Surik. The steadfast, calculating demeanor of Mandalore the Preserver. Perhaps they were the key. They stood as a reminder that her time on the Ebon Hawk wasn't some dream. It had happened. It was real.

Marr reflected on the last few weeks in the company of the crew of the Ebon Hawk as they walked. Being away from this ship, the Miraluka had began to regain some of her vibrancy. She could remember her home of Katarr stronger. The way it looked, the way it smelled. She could once again picture the faces of her dead family, her mother and father, her brother. She could remember the laugh of her betrothed. He too, with his worn hands, but soft touch, was gone, swallowed by the void. Like everyone and everything Marr had ever known. Then he brought her here, to the Ravager, with its silence and stuffiness and sense of isolation. Here with her master, the one who had spared her life, the one who owned her life. Being on the Ebon Hawk reminded her that there was more to life than this. More than the dusty hallways of this zombified cruiser. More than the lonely echo of footsteps that bounced off the walls. More than him.

Marr took a breath as she navigated the walkways she knew so well. It was here, that her master had took her in, had trained her. He was the one who taught her how to see again after she lost her Sight. In return, she had done his bidding. She had brought Jedi to him so he may feed upon the living Force inside them. And now, she had brought a former Jedi to him so that he may die.

Watching her world perish had crippled the Miraluka. Her master had used this to his advantage, to make her see the galaxy the way he did. She saw all the death and destruction, the disconnect from the Force. He made her understand, made her see why it needed to die. Surik and Atton and everyone else on the Hawk reminded her that there was good in the galaxy. That there were parts of it worth saving. Meetra was pivotal to this. Although Marr had never told her, she had had prophetic dreams of Surik. She saw how the Exile would save the Jedi Order and finish rebalancing the Force. That is why Marr had sought her out and betrayed her Master. Since the Force chose her as the keeper of the prophecy, it was Marr's job to make sure it came true. Her job to make sure that Surik faced the leader of the Sith Triumvirate, the still unknown Sith Lord of Betrayal she had seen in her dreams.

Marr took a deep breath. She paused for a second as she passed her quarters. She stared at the door for a moment, deep in thought. She associated that room with nothing but grief, grief for the death of her people. That was why she still wore the Garb of Mourning over her hair. It had been about a year since they had passed into the Force, but the death of Katarr still weighed on her shoulders.

"Visas?" Surik said gently. The Miraluka slowly turned her head towards the sound. "Yes?" "Are you alright?" she asked. "I am fine. This door... It leads to my cell. I had forgotten." she said. Whenever Marr was on this ship, everything felt like dream. Well, like a nightmare would be a better way to explain it. Everything had that dreamlike smoothness.

"This is where you lived?" Mandalore asked. Visas couldn't see his face, just his silver helmet with the infamous T shaped visor of the Mandalorian warriors. "Yes. It is the only home I have known since Katarr." Marr took one more second to look at the door. "Time to go." she said softly, slipping past her companions.

"It feels so empty here. Like death." Surik said with an uncomfortable expression. "Not like death." Marr countered. "Death is constant and moving. It has a focus and a direction. It's always heading somewhere. This- This is nothing. A void." she explained. Mandalore and Surik followed her wordlessly. As they headed towards her master, Marr calmed herself by directing her thoughts towards her fallen people. 

Past the surface, there is the Force. She recited mentally. 

She could feel Surik's nervous energy, like a current under a still river. Mandalore, however, was calm. He was calm to the point it unnerved Marr. She figured it had to be his warrior's instincts. He fought in the Mandalorian Wars for fifteen years. He had even faced Revan in that conflict. A veteran like him likely doesn't get unnerved easily. Where once there was a world strong in the Force, there is now a barren wasteland. She tried to avoid thinking about the day he came, but the memory surfaced anyway. As long as she may live, Marr would never forget that feeling. It was the feeling as all life ripped away before her, leaving only herself behind. Like there was an invisible string attaching Katarr and the other Miraluka to Visas's soul. When they got sucked into that void, the string stayed, connecting them, threatening to yank her soul out of her body before it snapped. That was all she remembered before passing out. Then she woke up on the Ravager, alone, dried blood covering her face.

She had heard the stories, but had never actually seen a Miraluka cry tears of blood. And she had seen a woman give birth with no painkillers. The Miraluka people were very similar to humans except for one thing; They had no eyes. Just skin over the sockets. The tale goes that the ancient Miraluka had become so reliant on their Force Sight that they no longer had any need for their eyes. So, as time went on, they began to be born without them. But whatever the reason, they did not have them. The skin where there eyes should be was very thin. When Miralukas are under extreme stress, the capillaries there can burst and leak, creating "tears" of blood.

From the day she woke on this blasted ship, the worse things seemed to get. The longer she stayed, the more she lost herself. Her master kept her alive, but still fed off her life energy to a degree, leaving her a shell of what she once was. 

It has taken time for me to return here. I lost my way, but I've been stronger for the journey. 

They turned a corner and headed towards the bridge. Marr was acutely aware of everything and nothing, all at the same time. She focused on the door ahead of her and only that door. 

What happens now shall not be done out of hate or revenge, but for the sake of all life.

"Now is the last time to gather your strength." Marr spoke as she stopped before the hatch. She turned to Mandalore and Surik. The Exile pulled her right saber off her belt. She flipped it in the air and caught it. "After you." she said with a smirk. Mandalore pulled his blaster up and rested it against his shoulder. "Let's end this." he replied gruffly. Marr nodded. She reached out a hand and tapped into the Force. She swiped it to the side and the panels slid open.

At the far end of the platform, looking out into the never-ending stars, stood Darth Nihilus. He was more presence than man. The second the door opened, Marr felt the tug, like a magnet. It was him. He a black hole. Black holes are the result of the death of a star. The star explodes and gravity collapses in on itself, creating the empty spot where matter would disappear. That was her master. He had the Force ripped away from him suddenly and violently. He became a devastating wound in the Force, a place where the Force went in and didn't come back out. A void. Marr forced her legs to move. 

I ask you finally, to forgive me.

She took a deep breath in through her nose. Her master turned to face them.

This body is a prison, no longer.


	2. Ravenous

"Nihilus." The Exile said, igniting both of her orange lightsabers. Visas pulled her saber off her belt. She had reforged her old lightsaber based on the diagram that Bao-Dur have given her. It had been broken in her first duel with Meetra. It no longer had the side exhaust ports and the blade was crisper and cleaner. Stronger. She also healed her kyber crystal, turning it from scarlet to a sunny yellow.

Nihilus spat back at them in his strange tongue. It was similar to Ancient Sith, but was not the same. Marr understood him simply because he allowed her to and, based on her reaction, Surik was able to understand him as well.

"I have come of my own choice. Visas is not part of this." She said, swiping her arm in the air for emphasis. Nihilus replied swiftly. He turned his attention on his former apprentice.

"You will not hurt her. I'm the one you want." Surik said. Mandalore stuck a hand out and moved protectively in front of the Miraluka.

"If you want her, you'll have to go through me." He growled. Mandalore had lost his calmness, and instead it was replaced by... anger? Marr would unravel that later. She did not have time to be distracted by confusing emotions. She had to focus.

Nihilus replied slowly, that strange, raspy dialect hitting her hard in the gut. He grabbed his lightsaber from under his cloak and pressed a button, the red, T shaped blade humming to life. He reached out his hand and they all froze instantly. It was like being encased in a liquid that was pressing heavily against her body on all sides, preventing any major movement.

"No... Do not harm them. I am the one... who has betrayed you. I am the one... who should suffer." Marr managed to force out. "I will return to you... But please, do not harm them... Do not what you did to me. I beg you." She whispered. Nihilus reached out his saber and hovered it next to her cheekbone, close enough that she could feel heat radiating from the blade. The words he spoke were angry, unlike the indifferent tone he had before.

"Perhaps you're still human enough to remember betrayal?" Surik spat. Nihilus shoved out his hand. Marr went flying across the room as her former master lunged at the Exile. However, Visas had felt it.

Nihilus was more presence than man, like a ghost or an aura in the room. Any piece of the person he once was had been destroyed long ago. So she had thought. She had felt it occasionally throughout her apprenticeship and she felt it a moment ago. It was so slight, like a tiny blip on a radar. Most would have missed it had they not been looking for it or if they weren't familiar with Nihilus. Marr fell into both categories. Nihilus had responded to Surik's words, and when he did, it was there, a tiny, barely noticeable flare of anger. She had felt it enough to know that a small piece of the person Nihilus once was was still in there, somewhere. Sometimes he was able to overcome the beast, just for a second, before succumbing to the Force-feeding monster once again.

Marr's body hit the wall hard. It knocked the wind out of her, making her Sight go fuzzy. She laid there for a moment, catching her breath. She looked up. Surik and Mandalore were holding their own. Surik kept Nihilus busy close up with her saber work, while Mandalore took shots at him from a distance. Surik slashed up high. Nihilus blocked it easily and turned his attention to Mandalore. He parried Surik and flung out his arm, sending the leader of the Mandalorian clans flying towards the window of the bridge. He hit it, his silver armor sending a metallic thud throughout the room. Marr took a breath and pushed herself up. She could sense Meetra's strength waning. Although she too was considered a wound in the Force, hers was nothing compared to Nihilus, which destroyed everything in its wake. It was like putting two magnets together. They were drawing and repelling each other at the same time. Her wound is what kept her alive so far. Mandalore wasn't Force-sensitive, so Nihilus did not affect him enough to weaken him. As for Visas... she wasn't sure why she was still alive. She just assumed that her former master probably wanted to kill her more... personally.

Marr ignited her blade and leapt at Nihilus. She and Surik slashed at the Sith Lord from both sides. He easily stopped both and countered. He stabbed out, barely missing Surik's stomach. Mandalore had gotten to his feet and shot some device that embedded itself in Nihilus's shoulder. He pressed a button on his wrist and the device electrified. Nihilus, instead of being electrocuted, turned to him and plucked it cleanly out of his flesh. It landed on the floor with a clink.

"What the hell?" Surik said with an astonished tone as she parried a strike from his blade. Nihilus pushed back against them and spoke at them in his jumbled nonsense. "I've got a bad feeling about this." Mandalore said through gritted teeth.

"Kreia has lied to you. There are no Jedi here. You can sense it." Surik countered. Nihilus replied defiantly, swinging his blade at them. "If you use your power here, you will exhaust yourself... And become vulnerable." She said. He lunged at them. That little piece of humanity, that flare of anger, had been snuffed out long ago. His aura was again bitter, cold, and stagnant.

He used his leg to send Surik off balance and used the Force to shove her into the floor. She landed facedown. The Exile attempted to get up, but just rolled over onto her back, her face clearly in pain. Nihilus reached out and froze Mandalore. His fired blaster bolt stood idle in the air, inches from the barrel, like someone had just stopped time. Now it was just apprentice and master.

Nihilus and Visas sparred like they had done so often before. She knew his fighting style as well as her own. He slashed downwards, which meant he was going to do a straight jab at the left side of her chest. She was right. She deflected it, forcing his blade to slide under her left arm. She dodged and cut at his right side. His blade met hers in a flash of light. They pulled apart. Nihilus raised his saber again and Marr took advantage of an opening. She slid past him, under his arms, and angled her blade. She cut into the muscle of his leg as she did spin move, creating distance between herself and Nihilus. He knelt to the floor, releasing his grip on Mandalore. The suspended blaster bolt reanimated, skimming over the Lord of Hunger and burning a hole in the far wall. His breaths were heavy. Surik stood up, gripping her shoulder.

"Even now the hunger is consuming you, just as Kreia knew it would." She said, dropping her hand away from her injured shoulder. He gave a short response in reply before getting to his feet again. He rushed at Surik. He struck out at her side with his lightsaber. She thrusted her left saber to block it and jabbed her right at his body. Nihilus took his left hand off his saber hilt. He reached out and caught Surik's wrist. His hand glowed red beneath his glove. Meetra immediately lost her color, her skin turning an ashy grey. Her eyes became sunken. She took a sharp, labored inhale and dropped her sabers.

"Surik!" Mandalore yelled. Visas used both hands to force push Nihilus away from her friend, driving him deep into the corner of the bridge. Surik dropped to her knees, taking big gulps of air.

"Meetra, are you alright?" Marr asked as she knelt down, putting a hand on Surik's shoulder. Her friend gave her head a quick shake. "Fine." She said shortly. Mandalore had pulled out a vibroblade and was keeping Nihilus busy while Marr helped the former Jedi to her feet.

"It's time to finish this." Surik said, exhaustion in her voice. "For the galaxy." Marr replied. "For Revan." The Exile's voice held a tinge of sadness when she spoke that name.

Minus the fact she was still unusually pale, Meetra was back to her old self. She tucked a lock of reddish-blonde hair behind her ear as she stood up and used the Force to bring her sabers to her hands. They relit and she mustered the energy to lunge at Nihilus, who was still dueling Mandalore. He and Mandalore had made their way to the center of the platform. Nihilus reached out his hand in a choking motion. Mandalore dropped his blade as he was raised into the air, grasping at the intangible hand around his throat. Nihilus barked at him in his tongue.

"Leave him alone!" Surik said as she swung sloppily at him. It was a weak swing, but it enough to distract the Sith Lord. Nihilus turned to Surik and put both hands on the saber. Mandalore flopped onto the ground like a rag doll. He didn't get up. Nihilus and Surik locked sabers, both pushing hard against the other. Marr attempted to help Surik, but again was thrown forcefully into the wall by Nihilus. She laid there a second on her stomach, her spine creating sharp pains when she flexed her back muscles. She got up to her hands and knees painfully. Surik was now barely keeping up with Nihilus. He had drained her severely. The Sith Lord had come dangerously close to mortally wounding her multiple times. It was only her skill and the Force that she hadn't been stabbed yet. Mandalore was still motionless on the ground. Kreia's words from earlier echoed in Marr's head. Something needed to be done.

Mandalore began to stir as she picked up her lightsaber. She pulled the mourning garb off her hair and tossed it onto the ground, revealing her bright golden hair tied up in a knot and the cloth tied around where her eyes should have been. She no longer had any need for it. The plight of her people ended today.

"Visas, what are you-" Mandalore's words were cut off by a pained groan. He looked up. She felt his aura change. For the first time since they landed on this forsaken ship, she felt fear from him. More than fear. It was panic. He had realized what she planned to do.

"Visas don't!" He barked as he tried to rush to his feet. It was too late though. Before she lost her nerve, Visas Marr put her lightsaber hilt to her stomach and ignited it


	3. Annihilation

The lightsaber cut straight through her abdomen, sending a burning sensation out from the wound and up into her chest and heart.

"Visas!" Mandalore shouted, horror lining his voice, running towards his companion. Nihilus and Surik both paused to see what had happened.

"No!" Surik yelled desperately. Marr collapsed onto her hands and knees. They had a bond, she and Nihilus, the bond all masters and apprentices share. Kreia had suggested her death might weaken him. She hoped she was right, because Marr wasn't ready to die. She didn't want to. But if it meant saving not only Meetra and Mandalore, but the galaxy, she would. Mandalore was almost to her.

"Visas..." He said, clearly upset. He wrapped his arms around her torso and attempted to flip her over to assess the damage. Nihilus took advantage of the confusion. He drove Surik hard into the wall as she tried to run to her friend. Marr felt Mandalore's arms rip away as he was shoved back onto the floor and pushed far away from her. She winced as her head hit the floor.

Nihilus strode across the floor like death incarnate towards his former apprentice. He stopped before her, like some evil giant. He bathed her in shadow. All she could see were the bottom of his black robes and the toes of his boots. He said something to her, but the words were fuzzy.

"I'm sorry... my master." She said. She lowered herself onto the floor and rolled onto her side. She gave a weak cry as a sharp pain filled the wound. "Please, just kill me." She begged before giving another whimper. Her entire stomach was encompassed in fiery throbbing. Her heart was beating harder than it ever had before. It felt out of beat too, doing a weird duh-duh dunt, instead the typical duh-dunt. Her lungs were tight, barely filling up with air. Nihilus knelt down, lightsaber in hand. He studied the dying body of his former apprentice. Marr was terrified, until she sensed it. That human piece of Nihilus was there and he felt... worried? Her master reached out his hand and put it on her stomach, the pressure forcing a pained gasp out of her. To Marr's shock, it turned white. She had only seen him ever do this once before, to her, after she had been injured in an attack by some rival Sith assassins. She knew what came next.

Pain flooded her entire abdomen as the flesh in her stomach knit itself back together. She screamed and writhed as the pain shot down her legs and up into her chest cavity. She sensed Surik's presence close and heard the hum of a lightsaber.

"What is... I don't..." She heard her friend stutter aimlessly. She did not strike the Sith down. She stood and watched. The sound of a blaster being fired went off twice. The first time, Marr felt Nihilus give a small twitch. The second was accompanied by the whirr of a saber and the sound of a deflected laser bolt.

"Mandalore, wait." Surik said. He was still on the floor, aiming his blaster up at the Sith Lord. The pain quickly subsided and the only feeling left was the weight of Nihilus's hand on her stomach and intense fatigue. She felt a small breeze as the Sith Lord stood up. Then she heard the clashing of lightsabers and the shooting of Mandalore's blaster. Marr pushed herself up. It took an inordinate amount of effort.

Nihilus was drained. He had used up a lot of energy healing her. His movements were slow and uncoordinated. Surik, however, was fighting with a renewed spirit. She pushed him back, towards where Marr was lying. She got a clean swipe in on his arm, burning a line in the sleeve of his robes. She snuck in a second one on his chest. He stumbled backwards, feet away from Marr now. Mandalore was slowly getting to his feet. Surik made another intense flurry before stabbing Nihilus straight through the chest, her orange saber exiting out his back. She yanked it out as the Lord of Hunger fell to the ground with labored breaths. Marr forced herself up and crawled over to him. Surik went to Mandalore, whom Visas hadn't notice collapse again.

Nihilus spoke to her. He had never felt more human than right now. That's what death did you, she supposed. It humbled you. She could feel his fear. She took one of his limp hands as he took a short breath. He said one last thing to her, one that shocked her to her core, one that she would never ever forget. And then, he breathed his last.

"Sleep well, my master." She said softly. Marr released his limp hand and lifted his mask. Beneath, she saw the face that lay beneath, the one she had wondered about since she woke on the Ravager. She stared at it, drank it in, memorized it, then covered it once again, before his body dissipated into nothing, leaving a bundle of robes, a lightsaber and his mask.

"What did you see?" Surik asked as she walked over to him. "A man." Visas replied simply. Marr picked up his mask and stared at it. The mask seemed to have lost its vibrancy. The white seemed dingy and dirty, the red paint chipped and flecked. She attempted to stand, but her legs gave out immediately. Mandalore knelt down next to the Miraluka. Most of the crew of the Ebon Hawk distrusted her, even now, after all they had been through. Mandalore was the only one who had actually been her friend since the start, the only one who actually wanted to get to know her, with the exception of T3 of course. Maybe it because he was the only one who understood her on the ship. The only other person who would come close to understanding her at all was their pilot, Atton Rand.

"How did you know that he would save you?" He asked as Marr grabbed Nihilus's lightsaber and hooked it to her belt. "I didn't." She said. Mandalore put an arm around her shoulders. "I merely thought it might harm him like Kreia suggested, or at least be distracting enough so you could finish him. I hadn't expected him to drop everything to save me." She said, resting her head against him.

"You were right Visas." Surik said. The Miraluka looked up at her. Mandalore rested his hand on her stomach. "What do you mean?" "You said there was still some good in him, there were still fragments of the man he once was. I felt it when he saved you. He felt... human. I didn't believe you before. I'm sorry." Surik said. The ship gave a lurch.

"We have to go. Now. The ship is falling apart all around us." Mandalore said. He slid his other arm under Marr's legs and lifted her up. She was still holding onto the mask tightly. It was strange. She felt as though she could still feel him. Maybe his presence was still lingering on the ship. The trio made their way off the bridge and into hallway.

"Ouch." She said as she gave a sharp gasp, dropping the mask onto her stomach. "What's wrong?" Mandalore asked. "It is nothing. Just a sharp pain in my abdomen." "Probably from your wound." He replied. "Possibly, but it was much lower." She said. "How did he save you, anyway? And why?" Surik asked as they approached the hanger. "Why, I am not sure. He had saved me before, but that was when I was still his servant. How, is by an ancient text called the Abominations of the Force, given to him by Darth Revan. It revealed how to save a person from mortal injury. It is very painful, to the point it could kill the person you are trying to save. But if they are dying anyway..." Marr trailed off.

"There's the shuttle. Hang in there kid." Mandalore said as the ship rocked. "My men are ready to blow this piece of junk sky high the second we get off." He said as they crossed the platform. He and Surik went opposite ways as a large beam crashed down from the ceiling of the hanger, slicing the floor open like a knife through butter. They converged on the shuttle and ran up the boarding ramp.

"Surik, get us out of here. I've just given them the go ahead." Mandalore said as he sat down. He was still holding onto Visas, who was placed in his lap. She rested her head against his armored shoulder. She very much wished to sleep. Surik powered up the shuttle as an explosion echoed in the distance. The ship's wings moved down with a hum and it began to hover. Meetra maneuvered the ship out of the hanger and into space.

"Watch out for that fighter!" Mandalore said as they exited the capital ship. They had entered into the dogfight above the planet of Telos. "I see it, I see it!" Surik grunted. Republic and Sith forces were relentlessly attacking one another for as far as the eye could see. Surik skirted around a nearby Sith bomber, their wing clipping the fighter's. "Surik!" Mandalore snapped as the ship lurched to the side and gave a deep rumble. "I'm sorry! Flying is Atton's thing. I've never been much of a pilot." She said through gritted teeth as she made a hard left around some debris. Behind them, the Ravager self-destructed silently in the vacuum of space. Surik led them out of the battlefield.

"You guys alright?" Atton Rand's voice said over the comm. "We're all fine. Nihilus is dead. Visas was injured, but she'll be ok." Surik replied. He breathed a sigh of relief. "Good to hear. Dock as soon as you can so that we can go over our next move." He said. Surik sighed. "One down. Next up is Darth Sion." Surik said. She had a determined look on her face. "Get ready Lord of Pain, because we're coming for you."


End file.
